Empress Zhen (Cao Fang)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhen.

Empress Zhen (died 22 August 251),^[a] personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Huai (懷皇后), was an empress of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was the first wife of Cao Fang, the third emperor of Cao Wei.

Empress Zhen 甄皇后
Empress consort of Cao Wei
Tenure	29 May 243[1] – 22 August 251
Predecessor	Empress Mingyuan
Successor	Empress Zhang
Born	Unknown
Died	(251-08-22)22 August 251[a]
Spouse	Cao Fang
Posthumous name Empress Huai (懷皇后)

Not much is known about her, other than that her grandfather, Zhen Yan (甄儼), was a brother of Lady Zhen, the mother of Cao Rui (the second emperor of Wei). She was made empress in May 243. While her age at the time was unknown, Cao Fang was about 11. She died in August 251 and was buried with honours befitting an empress.^[b]

See also

• Cao Wei family trees#Cao Fang
• Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

Notes

1. Cao Fang's biography in the Sanguozhi recorded that Empress Zhen died on the renxu day of the 7th month of the 3rd year of the Jiaping era of Cao Fang's reign.^[2] This date corresponds to 22 August 251 in the Gregorian calendar.
2. The reason her posthumous name was one character rather than two was because her husband was eventually deposed in 254, and therefore never given a posthumous name; the customs at the time generally dictated that the empress' posthumous name share one character with their husbands'.